Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. Sells 192,076 Shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. lessened its holdings in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 54.2% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 162,531 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 192,076 shares during the quarter. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. owned 0.13% of Williams-Sonoma worth $31,767,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. True Wealth Design LLC grew its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 111.8% during the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 144 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC boosted its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 130.8% during the 2nd quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 180 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares during the period. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust grew its position in Williams-Sonoma by 57.2% during the 3rd quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 228 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $45,000 after acquiring an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new position in Williams-Sonoma in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $48,000. Finally, SJS Investment Consulting Inc. lifted its position in Williams-Sonoma by 1,236.8% in the third quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 254 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $50,000 after purchasing an additional 235 shares during the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Williams-Sonoma

In related news, CEO Laura Alber sold 35,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $207.39, for a total value of $7,258,650.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 806,537 shares in the company, valued at $167,267,708.43. This trade represents a 4.16% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 767 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $205.16, for a total transaction of $157,357.72. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 13,236 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,715,497.76. This trade represents a 5.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 65,767 shares of company stock valued at $12,802,440 in the last three months. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently commented on WSM. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $206.00 target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 21st. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $245.00 price target (up previously from $210.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Telsey Advisory Group decreased their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $225.00 to $220.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. Evercore set a $215.00 price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Finally, Citigroup cut their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $202.00 to $188.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, November 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Williams-Sonoma presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $202.11.

Williams-Sonoma Trading Down 1.5%

Shares of WSM opened at $210.85 on Friday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 1-year low of $130.07 and a 1-year high of $221.81. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $201.61 and its 200-day moving average price is $195.75. The firm has a market capitalization of $25.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.20, a PEG ratio of 3.20 and a beta of 1.64.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 19th. The specialty retailer reported $1.96 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.87 by $0.09. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 14.30% and a return on equity of 53.10%. The business had revenue of $1.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.86 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.96 earnings per share. Williams-Sonoma’s quarterly revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts forecast that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 8.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 16th will be issued a $0.66 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 16th. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio is 29.04%.

About Williams-Sonoma

Williams?Sonoma, Inc is a specialty retailer focused on the home and culinary markets, best known for premium cookware, kitchen tools and home furnishings. The company traces its roots to a single cookware store founded by Chuck Williams in 1956 in Sonoma, California, and has evolved into a multi?brand home furnishings and housewares business. Its merchandise mix spans cookware and kitchen electrics, tabletop and food prep items, furniture, bedding, lighting and decorative accessories designed for both everyday use and higher?end interiors.

The company operates a portfolio of consumer brands that target distinct segments of the home market.